How to Make a Pokémon League
by OwlsCantRead
Summary: Kukui decides that a Pokémon League is just what Alola needs to spice up its Island Challenge. "Setting up a League's gonna be as easy as a fight with Rockruff," he thought. Unfortunately for Kukui, all of Alola, including its newly formed Elite Four, seems determined to prove him wrong.
1. Prologue: A League for Alola

" _Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." — Martin Luther King, Jr._

Words in _italics_ indicate thoughts.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon Sun or Moon, Game Freak does.

* * *

 **Prologue: A League for Alola**

"Yo, Burnet!"

The person being called in question turned her head to the grinning professor. With his contagiously enthusiastic voice, he had probably managed to catch the attention of everyone in their vicinity around Hau'oli Beach.

"Yes, Kukui?" She gave a small sigh upon seeing her husband with a familiar huge grin plastered onto his face. "Okay, I know that smirk. What's on your mind?"

"I just had this awesome idea." He turned back to the Rockruff trailing behind him and Burnet by about ten paces. "Wanna hear it, Rockruff?"

"Rockruff!" His loyal Rock-type canine wagged its tail in anticipation, genuinely interested in the topic.

"Kukui, I'm right beside you. Don't you ignore me!" she muttered.

"Surely you jest, Burnet?" Kukui guffawed, his cheeky eyes never losing that mischievous glint. "Whatever gave you the impression that you aren't included in my totally awesome conversation?"

"Oh, please. You were talking to Rockruff, Kukui! I didn't take a day off from work and travel all the way to Melemele just to see you talk to your Rockruff."

"Calm down!" Kukui heartily chuckled. "I'm only teasing, Burnet."

"Only teasing? Yeah, right. You were going to direct your statements to Rockruff and ignore me in the process," she snarked, rolling her eyes at Kukui, who tried to feign ignorance at the accusation.

"Come on, Rockruff," He crouched down towards the Puppy Pokémon and gave it a pat on its head. "Burnet doesn't believe that I was going to include her in my conversation. But you believe me, right?"

Rockruff gave a _yip_ in response, running across the soft sand in Kukui's direction.

Or so he thought. He reached his hand down to stroke Rockruff, only for the Puppy Pokémon to run past him and into Burnet's waiting arms.

"Rockruff, you lil' traitor!" he cried out in dismay, giving a pout at the Pokémon's blatant betrayal. Burnet just ruffled Rockruff's fur in response, causing Kukui to whine at the sight. "This is because Burnet spoils you, right?" he mumbled to the cooing Rockruff.

"Ruff!" it barked in agreement.

"Don't be upset, Kukui." Her face turned serious. "And in all honesty, I want to hear about your crazy idea."

Kukui got back up and looked at his wife in the eye. "Have you ever thought about how less than five percent of all of the young aspiring trainers who take the Island Challenge manage to complete it?" he asked.

"Speak for yourself, you hypocrite," Burnet teasingly remarked, "Because you would be one of those included in the ninety-five percent who dropped the challenge."

"Yeah, well…" he started without thinking before he interpreted the meaning her words held. "Hey!"

"What?" she shrugged, playing innocent, "It's the truth, isn't it?"

He sighed. "Yeah, you're right. But that's not what I'm driving at. What I'm saying is that too many young'uns nowadays give up on the trial challenge. And I was thinking about why and I think I've figured it out. At first glance, the challenge sounds simple."

"Beat the seven Trial Captains and the four Island Kahunas of Alola. After which, you can ascend Mount Lanakila to take on the final trial — all four Kahunas in a row. Defeat them all and you will be the Island Champion." Burnet recited from memory. "Every kid from the Battle School knows that."

"Exactly, Burnet! Every kid knows about the Island Challenge! But what they don't know is that it's much harder than it sounds. So many dejected trainers quit the moment they suffer a crushing loss to a Trial Captain's Totem Pokémon or the Island Kahuna during the Grand Trial. But, recently I was thinking about it from the opposite perspective." Kukui grinned. "What makes a trainer attempting the Island Challenge want to overcome the trials after a loss?"

"Um…" Burnet twirled her hair around with her fingers, genuinely stumped by Kukui's question. "I don't actually know."

"I don't blame you for not knowing. Not a lot of people realize this, but besides Z-Crystals, you don't really get tangible rewards out of the Island Challenge. What you'll get if you manage to overcome the challenge is personal satisfaction and becoming the acting Island Champion until the next guy beats the Island challenge."

"That's it?"

"Yup!" He gave a shrug. "I mean, we all know it's the journey, personal growth, and the bonds with your Pokémon that really matters, but the way I see things, the younger kids nowadays are much more hasty and impatient. Some of them don't really believe in all that kind of stuff, which is really a shame. Worse still, the moment they lose, they don't have the heart or the motivation to continue. Hey there, Burnet," he frowned at her disapproving face, "that's not an insult to them. I understand their choices. I mean, it would be fine and all if they didn't take their talents elsewhere. Locals who want to make it big all aim to go to the nearby Kanto Region for a more competitive environment, people who want a colder climate compared to our tropical one take a flight to Sinnoh, and some people who are sick of our traditional culture head of to the glamorous Kalos region." He held up five fingers, putting one down for every region mentioned. "Don't you see, Burnet? We're losing our local talent pool to these other regions!"

"But that's not necessarily bad right?"

"No, it isn't." Kukui shook his head. "I'm happy for them, but at the same time, we can't have this keep on happening. I'm saying we need to adapt. Let's mix together Alola's old tried-and-tested culture with some stuff the young ones would love. We need something to incentivize those Trial goers besides 'Congratulations, your bond between Pokémon has been proven by beating this challenge. That's all the reward you need,' else they're all gonna quit."

He stopped his walk across the beach, turning towards the ocean. Out in the horizon, the outline of Akala Island could be seen. "And I've got the perfect idea, too. An old friend of mine has recently moved to Alola. Her son, Sun, will be getting his first Pokémon in less than a month's time."

Burnet stayed silent, unsure of what this had anything to do with Kukui's big idea.

"I have high hopes for him. I've seen the boy sometimes when I walk past his home. He has that look in his eyes. The eyes of a determined youngster," he grinned. "Then I was thinking… what made this boy who grew up in Kanto behave so different from some of the locals around Melemele? My mind then wandered to my own journey in Kanto, and that was when I recalled that the Trainers in Kanto had a single, unified goal — to earn eight badges and challenge the Pokémon League at the Indigo Plateau. That was the motivation, their drive. They never quit because of that. They aimed and strived higher each time, all for the sole purpose of making it to the Indigo Plateau. And then, it struck me like one of Rockruff's Rock Throw,"—the Puppy Pokémon snickered at Kukui's verbal jab—"that the one thing Alola doesn't have that all the other regions do… is a Pokémon League!"

"So, you're saying…?" Burnet pressed him on.

"That we do the same thing for Alola. We give the trainers taking on the Island Challenge the motivation they need to complete it by emulating what all the other regions do!"

"You don't mean?!"

Kukui gave a firm nod. "That's right! The same incentive and reward trainers from all the other regions get upon completion — the chance to throw down in one final, internationally recognized gauntlet against the four most elite trainers in the region… the Pokémon League!"

"Are you joking?" Burnet openly gaped at the suggestion. "A League?"

Kukui's serious expression told her the answer. The professor's demeanor was rarely serious.

"Do… do you have any idea how tough this is going to be?" she asked, worry clear on her face.

"I do know. And I _am_ prepared. It's finally time that someone patched up all the cracks and did something to spice up the Island Challenge. I'm going to formalize the final trial and turn it into a League Challenge the world can be proud of!" He pumped his fist with determination in his eyes. "Woo! It's time to take Alola by storm!"

"Oh, Kukui… do you really think it'll be that simple? You can't just expect Alola to just make a League and have it be an instant success amongst the locals." She gave a small laugh. "I think you better stick to your professor duties—"

"No," he interjected, holding up his head to stop his wife from continuing. This sudden gesture even surprised Rockruff, who stopped rolling along the sand to stare up at the professor.

Kukui took off his glasses and took a long, determined gaze into the horizon. "Watch me, Burnet. I'm going to make this happen," he declared, speaking out into the open sea as if he was making a solemn pledge. "Soon, I will assemble an elite group of trainers and finally, Alola will have a Pokémon League to call its own! Woo!"

 _Setting up a League's gonna be as easy as a fight with Rockruff_ , Kukui thought to himself.

Unfortunately for the Pokémon Professor, he thought wrong.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hey there, _OwlsCantRead_ here. I've always wanted to try a Pokémon story! It won't be too serious, in case you couldn't tell from the tone it'll be mostly humor. Timeline-wise, it'll be set over the course of SM.

The prime motivation for this fic was an unanswered question from when I played Pokémon Sun — how on earth did Kukui actually manage to set up the Alola Pokémon League?

I mean, the game glosses over it briefly. I say "briefly" because the game's catered to the player, so they went more for the shock factor of "a region where there isn't a League because it's being built" rather than focus on _how_ it's being built. If you actually put some thought into it, you'll realize that it's no easy feat. Props to Kukui!


	2. Scoping Out the Elites

**Chapter 1: Scoping Out the Elites**

The first step to undertake in the creation of a new Pokémon League was to decide on its core members — the Elite Four.

Naturally, it would be wise to assume that the selection process for deciding on the strongest four trainers out of a region of more than thousands of them would be a very stringent procedure, one that would involve lots of internal vetting and tough battles between those vying for the spot.

Ironically, this was not the case at all for Kukui. The prime choices for the Elite Four were an easy pick in his opinion. Who else to recommend for the position of Elite Four but the Kahunas themselves?

Not only were they some of the strongest trainers on their respective islands, but they were also handpicked by the guardians of Alola. How could he compete with that? He didn't need to go out of his way to pick anyone, see? After all, the Tapus had already graciously done the job for him.

If only the reality had ended up being as simple as what he had envisioned.

* * *

After waving goodbye to Burnet as she departed from the Hau'oli Marina, he made his way over to Iki Town. Upon arrival, he grinned from ear to ear as he found who he was looking for. "Yo!" he waved enthusiastically at an old man dressed in yellow, "Alola, Kahuna Hala!"

"Oh! Hello to you too, Professor Kukui." Hala strode over towards him. "What brings you to quaint little Iki Town?"

"Hahah!" he laughed, showing his pearly whites. "Come on, Hala! I can visit Iki Town whenever I want! Don't make it sound like I'm always cooped up in my lab!"

"I wasn't implying that!" Hala chuckled good-naturedly. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Are you free at the moment?"

"Well, it is evening right now." Hala glanced towards the setting sun. "I suppose it is after standard working hours." He tugged on his robe, straightening it. "By the way, it might interest you to know that my grandson will be coming of age in about a few months. It is then where I will be giving him his very first Pokémon."

"Really? Tell Hau that I give my congrats."

"Ah, my grandson…" Hala gave a wistful smile. "That boy would naturally be inclined to take the Island Challenge. I can only pray to Tapu Koko and the rest of the Guardians to wish him all the best for his journey."

"Lil' Hau can do with the luck! Oh yeah!" Kukui then strolled towards Route 1, subtly signaling the Kahuna to follow him. Hala seemed puzzled, but followed Kukui to the quiet road.

"But that's not why I came here," Kukui finally continued after they walked into the grass for about a minute, "There's something I would like to propose, Hala. But I'll like to keep it hush-hush for now, if you get what I mean."

Hala looked around. There were no other humans around besides him and the professor. The only sounds he could hear besides the crinkling of grass that they were stepping on were the chirps of the wild Pikipeks around the area.

"Keeping things quiet? Is that why you brought me here?" he finally asked after admiring the surroundings.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Kukui couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. "There's no one here but the occasional Grubbin and Pikipek. Nothing against Pokémon trainers, but what I'm about to share is top-secret for now, so I really don't want them leaking out rumors… after all, what I've planned is going to be extremely exciting! A new age for Alolan Trainers is coming soon, and faster than they think. The changes I have in store for them will hit them quicker and harder than a Midday Lycanroc using Accelerock, I daresay!"

Hala scratched his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't follow. Whatever do you mean?"

Kukui simply raised up four fingers.

"Four Trainers!"

Hala cocked his head in confusion.

"Four Trainers!" Kukui repeated, putting his hand down this time. "I intend to recruit four of the strongest Pokémon trainers in Alola for the position of Elite Four members!"

"Elite Four? But we don't have an Elite Four here in Alola." Hala commented.

Kukui smirked at Hala's keen observation. "You're right! We don't have one yet, but soon we will!"

"There's going to be an Elite Four in Alola? How exactly do you know about this?"

"Because the one in charge of rounding up the Elite Four…" Kukui pointed his right thumb at himself, sporting a cheeky grin, "…is me!"

"You?!" Hala exclaimed, a brief flicker of surprise evident on his face before it was replaced with his usual neutral disposition.

Kukui smiled. Kahuna Hala was known for always keeping his calm, so the very fact that he managed to get him to lose his cool, however briefly, meant that Hala was genuinely surprised.

"That's right, Hala. I've decided to revamp the Island Challenge by replacing the final trial with a brand-new Alolan Pokémon League!"

"And did you discuss this with anyone beforehand?" he asked. "This is the first time I have heard of any such development"

"Nope," Kukui replied bluntly. "You're the first Kahuna I've told about this."

"I see…"

"Which also means that you'll be the first guy who I'm gonna be offering the position of Elite Four to!"

"Wha…" Hala coughed, struggling to get words out. "Excuse me?" he finally managed to splutter.

"You heard me, Hala! You're the Kahuna, so I feel that you'll be the perfect representative for Melemele!"

"I-I'm sorry… I must be getting a little old." Hala shook his head. "Can you repeat that again?"

"Woo! I said that you're chosen to be a member of Alola's new Elite Four!"

There was silence for a moment as Hala contemplated the situation. "You're being serious about this, Kukui."

The professor simply grinned in response. "Sure I am! You don't have any reason not to accept, right?"

Hala reached his hand out, albeit a little reluctantly. Kukui couldn't help but notice the look of apprehensiveness on the Kahuna's face. "Alright, Kukui. I'll accept the post for now, but promise me that you'll allow me to back out if necessary."

Kukui ignored the nagging feeling in the back of his head giving him warning bells. Sure, Hala currently seemed uneasy about the proposal, but he knew that after a while the hesitation would fade. He reached his left hand out and firmly grabbed Hala's own.

They shook on it, thereby formally agreeing that the Melemele Kahuna was to be the first member of the Elite Four.

* * *

"See, Burnet! I managed to get Hala to agree! I told you that I wasn't being hasty about this!"

Burnet simply shook her head as Kukui cheekily bragged about managing to convince the Melemele Kahuna to buy into his plans. "Oh, hush! I still think that you're way over your head. Plus, Hala's only one out of four Kahunas. He was probably easy to persuade."

"You're right about that! Shoot!" Burnet smiled, thinking she finally knocked some sense into Kukui before he continued and she realized that he had been talking about a completely different sentence.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna get my second one soon!" Burnet's eyebrow twitched at his response. She'd thought he was referring to the fact that it was hard, not that he had only managed to get one Kahuna to agree to be part of the Elite Four.

He reached for his white hat near the doorway, placing it atop his head. "Woo! It's off to Konikoni for me!" the professor declared, rushing off.

Burnet just sighed as Kukui came running back less than two minutes later to grab the Poké Ball containing Rockruff that he had carelessly left behind on the stand, claiming he needed to use the Puppy Pokémon to fend off a few wild Diglett for him to safely get to Konikoni.

* * *

"What you propose is intriguing…"

Olivia put her hand to her lips, stroking her chin. Yes, it was definitely interesting. However…

"What are the responsibilities of being an Elite Four member? Is it just a title you get? Because right now, even as a Kahuna, I am required to battle aspiring trainers for the Grand Trial."

"Oh, well, I guess it's more fame?" He shrugged. He honestly hadn't considered Olivia's question. "Only Alolans know about the Kahunas, but every region knows what an Elite Four member is! You get much more expressive battles!"

"Hmm… you make it sound like a chore, you know?" She pulled out a Rockium-Z, fiddling with the jewel in her hand. "Being both Kahuna and Elite Four…"

"It would be great, right? I mean, why decline? It's basically the final trial atop Mount Lanakila, just with a different title."

"Do you remember how long ago it was since a trainer taking the challenge actually managed to make it to the final grand trial?" she pursued. "I suspect it would be a very different matter if you opened a League. The number of battles would be multiplied at least fivefold."

She held the Rockium-Z level with her eyes, looking at the Z-Crystal glint in the moonlight. "Kukui," she began, catching the professor's attention. "Do you at least get paid doing this? Don't forget that I own a shop here in Akala, and it's my only real consistent paying job. I can't take on three jobs if I get nothing for this one."

Kukui looked briefly unsure, before giving her his affirmation. "I assure you that you'll get paid."

Olivia took a look in the general direction of the Ruins of Life, before placing the Rockium-Z back into her pocket. "Oh well. I'm sure Tapu Lele wouldn't mind. The tapu would have already appeared before us if it did have an objection. And _that_ would most likely not be a pleasant conversation."

"Oh yeah! So you accept, Kahuna Olivia?" A nod from the woman was all the confirmation the professor needed.

"Woo!"

And thus Olivia became the second member of the Elite Four.

* * *

It was at Ula'ula where things started to go awry.

"No."

"C'mon now!" Kukui tried to plead with the stubborn grey-clothed man. "As the strongest trainer here, you'll be representing your home, Ula'ula Island. It'll be an honor to accept!"

"I said no. Do I look like that much of a patriot to you?" The Ula'ula Kahuna folded his arms. "And to elaborate, I didn't even ask to be the Kahuna of Ula'ula. That rascally Tapu Bulu just decided to give me the title for the sole purpose of messing with me and ruining what could have been my perfect, easy life."

Kukui clucked his tongue. He'd known that Kahuna Nanu would be a tough one to convince. The Dark-type user was known for being incredibly lazy and uninterested in most affairs.

"No, you don't understand, Kahuna Nanu," he said, trying to play it in a different angle. "This post is just a secondary job. If you take it, you'll still be an Island Kahuna.

"Oh. So I basically have to do double the work?" Nanu folded his arms. "Well, that's even worse than I thought. I adamantly refuse."

"Come on, Nanu." Kukui's tone became slightly pestering. "This is a big thing. Having an Elite Four could put the Alola region on the map!"

"Not interested."

"Hala and Olivia already accepted! It'll be really awkward if you don't!" he resorted to a low blow. Surely this would at least get him to feel uncomfortable!

"So what?" Nanu shrugged. "I can be the odd one out, as always…"

"I promise you'll get lots of breaks and off days," Kukui finally said, trying to pander to Nanu's laid back nature.

"You give a good deal, professor…" Nanu started, giving Kukui hope that perhaps he might accept. At least, until his tone became one of disinterest again. "But the whole thing's still too much effort and not worth my time." He picked up an Alolan Meowth besides him, stroking its pelt. "I'll rather stay here and chill."

Kukui sighed. This was a lot harder than he had anticipated. "What will it take for you to agree?"

"I'll never agree, so how about you stop acting like one of those salesmen who hound people forever for a puny commission and leave me alone. Go pester someone else to join your little League association."

Kukui carried on, undaunted by the verbal jab. "Hey there, there's no need to be such a downer. I really need—"

"Uncle Nanu!" a cheery voice barged into the conversation.

Both pairs of eyes fell to a small girl dressed in purple one-piece attire with a golden bangle around her arm. "Hey, you actually have a visitor, Uncle Nanu!" she exclaimed with genuine surprise from the doorway. "Oh sorry, am I interrupting something? Would this happen to be a bad time?" she asked when she observed that neither Kukui nor Nanu were responding to her arrival.

Finally, Nanu gave an exhausted sigh. "Great. The noise has arrived. Right on schedule, I suppose…" he muttered to no one in particular while facepalming in annoyance.

On the other hand, Kukui frowned. He's seen this girl somewhere before! The professor racked his brains trying to recall. If he'd remembered correctly, he had seen her once with Mallow, Lana, and the others… wait a minute!

"You're a trial captain, aren't you?" Kukui questioned. He wasn't too familiar with the Captains of Ula'ula and Poni, since Melemele and Akala was his turf after all. But the very fact that he distinctly remembered seeing her with the Akala captains once before sealed the deal.

"Yep! I'm surprised that you know, mister!" she smiled, before politely bowing and introducing herself. "My name is Acerola!"

"And now that we've gotten all the fancy introductions over and done with, how about the two of you make your way out of here?" Nanu interrupted, gesturing them both towards the open door.

"Uncle Nanu!" Acerola cried indignantly, placing her hands on her hip. "You want me to leave? I just got here!"

"That's true. I guess you have a point. We'll leave this one up to Meowth then. What do you think?" he asked the Alolan Meowth by his side.

"Meowtz!" It waved his hand dismissively, a smug smile on its face.

"Oh. It looks like Meowth says no." Nanu then proceeded to shoo them off using the same hand gestures that the Alolan Meowth had used. "Out you go."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Acerola folded her arms. "That was totally Meowth's default expression!"

"I know it is. That also means I know Meowth's default answer whenever I ask him a question like this. It's reliable, y'know."

"Uh…" Kukui cut into their argument, earning an irritated look from Nanu and a confused expression from Acerola. "Before I go…"

"My answer is still no." Nanu stayed firm, much to Kukui's dismay. "I refuse to be part of your Pokémon League."

"Pokémon League?" Acerola turned towards Kukui, tilting her head. Curiosity was written all over her face. "What's all this about a Pokémon League?"

"Oh yeah! I'm recruiting four of the strongest trainers in Alola to form a brand new Pokémon League!" Kukui explained. "That's the reason I'm here actually, to convince Kahuna Nanu to join as a member of the Elite Four."

"Let me guess… he said no, right?" Acerola had a knowing smile as she asked. She even didn't wait for Kukui to confirm before continuing. "Since that's the case, can I join?"

"What?!" Kukui exclaimed. _What did she say? Did she just…?_

"You gotta learn that Uncle Nanu's one stubborn customer. If he doesn't want to accept the post because he's being a big grouch—" Acerola stuck her tongue out at the subject in question, only for him to roll his eyes in response, "—then there's no convincing him. Which means that I'll have to accept it in his place! After all, I'm the second-strongest trainer on Ula'ula right now."

"Don't let yourself get coerced into this…" Nanu muttered. "But then again, I never could stop you, huh?" For the first time since he had entered Nanu's house, Kukui saw the old Kahuna finally smile. "Knock yourself out, girl. I mean, it'll at least get this bothersome professor out of my house."

Kukui hadn't expected things to turn out this way, but the lighthearted Acerola ended up being the third member of Alola's Elite Four.

* * *

"Poni Island's Kahuna? You're looking for the Kahuna?"

"Yeah, do you know where I can find them?" Kukui asked. He had arrived at Seafolk Village and managed to chance upon a girl dressed in brown excavation attire. After getting her attention, she dismounted her Mudsdale and was now listening to him attentively.

"Well, I don't think you'll be able to find him around these parts no more. You don't keep up on news 'round here, do you?" she chided.

Kukui made a mental reminder to find out more about the affairs of Ula'ula and Poni in future after he was forced to admit that he genuinely had no idea what she was talking about. "I guess I don't. Whoops! Consider me a fool who's been struck by Amnesia!"

"No worries," she dismissed. "Most people don't know, actually. Got a few trainers who completed their Ula'ula challenges running along here and getting a shock when we drop the bombshell on 'em… after all, we don't have a Kahuna here in Poni."

"You don't?"

"Nope. 'Fraid so." The young girl replied while stroking Mudsdale's mane. "He died some years back."

"That's terrible." Kukui had genuinely no idea about this development. He cursed his lack of knowledge about Alola's current affairs. Hala and Burnet were right, he'd cooped himself up on Melemele for too long. How had he not known about this?!

"It's fine." she soothingly replied. "There's no need to feel bad. We all knew he was going, and my grandfather willingly accepted his fate. Such is the circle of life."

"Your… grandfather?" Kukui's eyes widened as he looked at the girl again. "Your grandfather was the Kahuna?"

"Yup, he sure was. A mighty fine one, too." Her firm posture then drooped slightly, "Alas, if only I was able to match up to him."

"Maybe you could." Kukui gave a reassuring smile. "I'm currently looking for the strongest four trainers around Alola to set up a Pokémon League. You're the Kahuna's granddaughter, so I think you would be a decent trainer. Would you consider representing Poni Island as the final Elite Four member?" he offered. With any luck, the situation would wind up being like Acerola. The girl would accept and he could finally go home happy.

"Representing Poni?" She gazed out to the docks, hearing the cawing of Wingulls flying about as the tranquil waves crashed upon the shore. "Sorry there mate, but I reckon I oughta decline." Before Kukui could say anything, she started to elaborate while holding up an Ultra Ball in her gloved hand. "I got my trusty Mudsdale when I was little, and despite all the training I've done with him till this day, I still don't feel like I'm strong enough. Heck, I ain't even ready to be the Kahuna yet, let alone be part of an Elite Four." She placed the Ultra Ball back into her pocket, giving the professor a thankful smile. "I must thank you for the offer though, kind sir, but I must be taking my leave now. It's about five in the morning, so dawn's about to break over Seafolk Village."

She gave a small laugh upon seeing Kukui's stunned look. "Yeah, I know what time the sun comes up around these parts." She jumped atop her trusty Draft Horse Pokémon, using her boots to get a foothold on the saddle. Just as Mudsdale was about to gallop away, she gave it a signal to halt. "I think me and Mudsdale had more than enough rest. I'll consider your offer in the future when I get stronger. Just tell one of the villagers around here to look for Hapu, and I'll be at your service. Thanks for the engaging chat." Before he could respond, she held up the reins in her hand and gave Mudsdale the all-clear.

Kukui simply watched as the Mudsdale carried her into the distance as the first rays of the sun broke over the horizon.

* * *

Vast Poni Canyon was an excruciating climb. He'd definitely underestimated the "Vast" in the canyon's name.

It was unbelievably massive. For starters, he hadn't planned on making this trip since he had been expecting to meet the Kahuna at the Seafolk Village. It didn't help that he didn't know who the captain was, so he had been forced to battle just about everyone before they admitted that, no, they were not the trial captain.

"Are you the trial captain?" Kukui heaved as he finally managed to come across an eccentric looking girl carrying drawing materials. _Please be it, please be it,_ he begged _. I don't know how much longer I can take this…_

"Hmmmm… to my left I see a tired looking professor. I can capture its exhaustion by using watercolor pastels…"

"Hey!" Kukui cried out. "Are you ignoring me?!"

"Oh, sorry. It looks like the specimen isn't ready to be sketched yet." She looked up from her drawing pad. "To answer your question, yes. My name is Mina, and I am indeed the trial captain."

 _Yes!_ Kukui finally smiled, wiping beads of sweat away from his brow. _Finally! After wrongly asking five Ace Trainers, seven Hikers, and countless other trainers, I finally found the captain!_ "I'm starting up a Pokémon League and would like to recommend you for the position of Elite Four," he said.

"Hmmm." She took out a Poké Ball and threw it high into the air to let the Pokémon within out. "What do you think, Ribombee?"

"Bom-beeee?!" Ribombee cried in confusion as it materialized. The poor Bee Fly Pokémon hadn't been out of its Poké Ball when Kukui had asked the question, so it didn't know what on earth it was even supposed to be answering.

However, Mina interpreted her Ribombee shaking her head in uncertainty as a sign of denial. "It looks like Ribombee doesn't seem to like your proposal. So I guess that's a no, I'm afraid."

"Wha—! Wait!"

It was purely bad luck on his part, the professor decided. Once Mina had made up her mind, there was no getting through to her. She simply ignored all of Kukui's loud objections for the next hour as if she was a Whismur with the ability Soundproof. After she was finished with her art piece, she simply showed the Pokémon Professor a sketch of him being agitated.

Kukui simply sighed as she strutted away, proud of her handiwork. He turned back and mentally prepared himself for a long and tiring journey out of Vast Poni Canyon.

To add insult to injury, it occurred to Kukui that he could have called Charizard on his Ride Pager to save himself the hassle of a return trip. Too bad that he'd only had that brilliant idea after he'd already backtracked all the way out of that blasted place.

* * *

"After this is done, I'm gonna do a study of the super-effectiveness of Rock-type moves against Bug-types. And I'm making sure that my first target's a Cutiefly after all the trouble that captain's Ribombee gave me," Kukui muttered to Rockruff's Poké Ball.

The professor currently was on a ferry back to Akala after crawling out of Vast Poni Canyon. Only one thought was haunting his mind.

That did not go the way he had anticipated.

He was so close! Right now he only had three out of four. He couldn't start up the League with just that. There couldn't be an Elite _Three_ , the idea of that was just ridiculous — Alola would be a laughing stock the moment Kanto got wind of it.

Hala and Olivia were easy enough to convince. Sure, he might have been forced to compromise with Acerola, but that was nothing compared to the disaster that was Poni Island. There was no chance in getting the Kahuna unless you could raise him from the dead, his granddaughter had declined for training purposes, and the trial captain was much more dedicated to art, leaving him with virtually no one from Poni.

"Come on! You need to stay calm in the face of adversity!" he told himself. "Ah… using Calm Mind on yourself really does help. Woo!" Kukui laid back against the seat, stretching his legs. He was trying his best to think about a way out of this dilemma. He refused to report to Burnet and admit that he had floundered on Poni. "Since Poni Island's out of the picture, who should I get…" he pondered.

As he lay deep in thought, he vaguely registered the ship's intercom ringing out. "Attention all passengers, this ferry has arrived at Heahea City of Akala Island. Heahea is founded by natives from Kanto and Johto, so tourists are likely to find a welcome face in this bustling city. For accomodation, we recommend the Tide Song Hotel or the Hano Grand Resort. Thank you for travelling with us!"

 _Hano Grand Resort?_ The name rang a bell in Kukui's head. It took him five seconds to remember exactly why, but when he did, he gasped in realization. With a goofy grin plastered on his face, he immediately whipped out his phone and dialled a number.

The line eventually connected. "Hello? Who is this?" came a female voice in a formal tone.

"Kahili! Woo, am I glad to hear your voice!"

"Kukui? No, what am I talking about… I knew it was you the second you opened your mouth." The professor could hear a mental sigh over the other end of the phone. "Okay, what's this about? You almost never call me up."

He chuckled. "You see, I just happened to remember that you were the daughter of the owner of Hano Grand Resort."

There was silence for a few seconds. "That's it? That's why you called?" she asked.

"Nonononono! There's more! Don't hang up on me!" he hurriedly stated. "You were island champion, right?"

"Still am." There was an annoyed _hmph_. "Nobody's managed to beat all the trials since my induction. It's been far too long in my opinion. Even my Toucannon's gotten bored."

"Bored, eh? How about this, Kahili? I'm gonna offer you a place in my very own Elite Four!"

"Your _what_?" she gave a small chuckle. "What if I say no?"

"Please don't!" he begged. "I've gotten rejected twice in a row now, you're my last hope!"

"Oh, alright," she huffed. "This sounds interesting. It's been a while since I've returned to Alola. I bet Toucannon will at least be a little happier when I get him to flex his wings in battle. That bird's been so angsty lately."

"Great! All I need is your confirmation and—"

"What's the catch?" Kahili suddenly asked out of nowhere.

"Ummm… what do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Kukui. I'm a professional golfer. In golf, there's always an inherent risk of the ball not doing what you want whenever you swing your club. I know that there are always risks involved in these sort of things, and that includes a League you just spontaneously decided to make. So what are they?" There was a pause before she suddenly changed her tone of voice. "Actually, you know what? I guess I'll find out for myself when I arrive. Reserve that Elite Four slot for me."

The voice on her end suddenly went soft. "Let's go, Crobat! Send us to Alola in a jiffy!" It appeared that Kahili was now speaking to her Pokémon and not to Kukui through the mouthpiece.

The line went dead, leaving a relieved Kukui hearing the dial tone.

And thus the four Elite Four members were rounded off by a golfer.

* * *

"So you actually went ahead and did it."

"That's right." He nodded to his wife. "Hala, Olivia, Acerola and Kahili," the four names rolled off his tongue unfamiliarly, "Those are the Elite Four that I've assembled together for the new Pokémon League. I mean, I didn't manage to get all the Kahunas in the end, but I believe that my judgement was sound in selecting who I did."

"You sure about that?"

Kukui held up four fingers. Burnet just rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming.

"Four Trainers!" he announced. "Four lucky trainers have been selected to be the Elite Four representing our region's very own Pokémon League!"

"Chill out there, dear…"

"It's starting, Burnet," Kukui replied cryptically. "The new winds of change are beginning to blow in Alola…" he said, almost like he was composing a haiku.

In the end, he was right. The seeds of a new beginning for Alola had indeed been planted. But unluckily for Kukui, he had no idea that what he had started would soon begin a chain of events that would take his control of the situation out of his hands.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

We know that Kukui had approached multiple trainers for the role of Elite Four when making the League, the Elite Four themselves said it ingame.

They never said _how_ he managed to convince them to join though. So… :D


	3. Hiding in Plain Sight

**Chapter 2: Hiding in Plain Sight**

"Woo! You all have _no idea_ just how glad I am that all four of you have finally, finally managed to make it here together!"

Professor Kukui held the opinion that having a group meeting together in person was much better than opting for a voice chat or phone call. It was why he'd been so adamant that the first-ever meeting between the new Alola Elite Four should be a face-to-face one, even though that insistence came with its own fair share of problems.

Despite the issues, he felt that the pros outweighed the cons. There were so many little things that could only be expressed in a physical meeting, things that digital media can never hope to replicate no matter how much technology advanced, in spite of Rotom-Dex's protests that it wasn't the case and that, _kazap, he could do it using a mere 10% of his microprocessor capacity, bam._

Kukui had shook his head at the Rotom-Dex and given it a long lecture about the importance of physical human interaction in Alola until the Pokédex complained that it's memory processors were overloading from the professor's hour-long dressing down. Despite its snarky attitude, Kukui had to concede that Rotom did have a point. A physical meeting had been really painful to plan and organize on his end.

He'd learned a hard lesson when he was trying to get the group to meet together. That lesson was that arranging the details for said meeting was as hard as trying to get his Lycanroc to land a Stone Edge attack when the opponent had a Brightpowder equipped on them. Hoo boy, were both tasks deceptively hard to pull off!

The main trouble he had with trying to arrange a physical meeting between two Kahunas, a Trial Captain, and an island champion was that their occupations meant that all four of them were busy. Very busy. To put it bluntly, their schedules conflicted a lot. It was already hard enough to get them all to agree on a designated time, but since all of them lived on different islands, it was even harder to set a common meeting location.

He had completely underestimated the effort it would take to get them all to meet because of last-minute changes and excuses like "I have a battle scheduled with a challenger tonight", "Sorry! There's a trainer who wants to undergo my trial later", or the best of all, "I'm about to score a birdie on the 18th hole, shuush. Call me later". As a result of all these minor inconveniences that slowly piled up, it ended up taking way too long before Kukui could manage to find a time and place that accommodated all of them.

But after months of fretting, the day had finally come.

Kukui had assumed that perhaps now, things might finally go up. However, wat he couldn't possibly guess was that that was only the start. It was only after all four of them had gathered did Kukui realize that he had made one very grave error.

He had counted on them staying indoors in his lab to make their discussions as that was the selected meeting point. Much to his dismay, they didn't. The instant they were all in there, they got bored and wanted out.

"Wow!" Acerola gaped at the scenery. "This is the first time I've seen Melemele look so pretty! It looks so tropical compared to Ula'ula. Or maybe it's just the sunset at dusk that's giving me that impression…"

"It's probably just you," Kahili mumbled, taking one glance at the red sky before looking away. "Much of Ula'ula's holed-up from the sea anyway."

"But you should visit Akala Island more then, Acerola," Olivia commented. "We have plenty of seaside towns over there."

"I did visit Akala! It's just Melemele Island that I rarely go to!"

Beginning to hit the limit of his patience, the professor cut in. "Alright, that's enough evening sun for y'all! How about we get back to my lab now before someone spots us?" he jovially asked while pointing his thumb in the direction of Ten Carat Hill and his lab.

"How about no?" Kahili gave Kukui a teasing smile, interjecting before any of the others could answer.

"Come on now!" Kukui nervously chuckled, fighting down his growing apprehension. "It's evening already. This tea break of yours has gone on for far too long. Ever heard of the phrase ' _Time is money_ '? Yep, you're wasting your valuable and precious time now. Woo! We can't have that, now!"

"And by that, you happen to mean _your_ own precious and valuable time. Am I right, Kukui?" Kahili huffed at the professor. "We're making good time at the moment, so why don't you just relax?"

"Two Kahunas, a Trial Captain, and an Island Champion all hanging out together? If you all walk out together in the open it'll be glaringly obvious to the folks around here that something big is about to go down." He gave a cautious glance around, looking out for any eavesdropping trainers lurking nearby. "Long story short, I would really prefer if we didn't draw such unnecessary attention to us."

Kahili clicked her tongue. "What's the point of keeping this whole thing under wraps anyway? Isn't this something for you to be proud of? Why not just announce that you're making a—"

"Shhhh!" Kukui hushed, putting his finger to his lip before responding. "I mean, I would, but…"

It was then where the trouble started. Kukui had continued to insist that news about the League should be kept secret for a while now, but he hadn't thought about how the others viewed that opinion.

"But what? What's there _not_ to brag about this?" she retorted back, skeptically raising an eyebrow. "Unless you're telling me that the whole Elite Four idea was a no-go from the very beginning—" she gave Kukui a harsh glare just imagining the scenario, "—in which case I'm gonna be more than a little upset."

"You're wrong about that! The Alola Pokémon League will be a reality!" Kukui's eyes sparkled with vigor. "Oh yeah! To clarify your misunderstanding, I would love to announce it to the Alola region, no, the entire world even!" He held up four fingers once again, using them to symbolize the Elite Four he had envisioned. "But first we would have to settle all of the administrative things before making a formal announcement."

After Kukui's declaration, there was an intense stare-off between the two, neither wanting to back down. However, after a while Kahili eventually relented. "Oh alright! I guess you have a point…" she conceded, diverting her eyes away with a huff.

Her soft mumbling was still picked up by Kukui, however. "Woo! Now that's what I'm talking about! My lab's waiting for you!" he gestured with his hand.

"Fine! I'll just take this as my evening walk!"

The rest of them silently walked behind the squabbling duo, all three simultaneously sighing at their antics.

* * *

In retrospect, it turned out that his own lab wasn't a safe place for a top-secret conversation either.

A Pokémon Professor's lab was like a public place — it was open for all. Keeping this in mind, Kukui was wary that his lab often had curious visitors, usually new trainers eager to ask him questions. That was why he had locked the lab door for one night only, barring entry to anyone not allowed to overhear the sensitive info that was to be discussed. He'd been so cautious about this that he even sent his new assistant Lillie away from the lab, giving her the night off. The blonde girl had even been relieved for the reprieve, thanking him before taking her bag and leaving in the direction of Iki Town.

However, he had forgotten one minor thing which would prove to almost be his undoing.

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Ahhh… eh, is that a video teleconferencing call notification?" Kukui flashed a nervous smile as as a notification prompt appeared on his computer. "Oops! I was so busy setting your schedules that it completely slipped my mind that I told the new trainer to call me at this time too!"

"Hey, Kukui! We're here as well! You're gonna be starting this video transmission with us in it after your whole 'no one can know' spiel!" Kahili hissed.

"You're right!" His eyes darted left and right. "Hide, you guys!"

"Just where do you expect us to hide in this old shack, Kukui?" The golfer grunted, looking around as the notification began to beep even louder. "Just cut the call, you hypocrite! Pretend nobody's at home."

"I-I can't do that! It's against my morals!" Kukui whined.

"It's like a game of hide-and-seek! I call dibs in the area behind the couch!" Acerola pointed, before ducking under her target of choice. There was a lot of running afterwards as the remaining three found significantly larger hiding places.

Seeing them all out of sight, Kukui tentatively accepted the incoming call. "Hang on, now! Gimme just a sec…" He adjusted the webcam on his laptop to ensure that the four were out of view, heaving a sigh of relief once danger was averted.

"Hello there, Professor Kukui!" A young jovial voice came from the other end.

"Alola to you too! Looks like you've gotten pretty used to Alolan culture, eh Sun?"

The boy gave the professor a smile. "Sorta, I guess. This region is really different from Kanto. I'm still getting used to it and all…"

"Ahahaha! You're right there, kid! Anyway, I'm sure you'll eventually get used to our warm hospitality. Also, nice hat you got over there," Kukui pointed out the black cap that adjourned the boy's head.

"Thanks, professor." He adjusted the cap slightly, pulling the tip towards the front. "My mom got it for me."

"Well, be seeing 'ya! Woo! Aren't you excited? Today's the day you're gonna get your first Pokémon from the kahuna!" Kukui flashed a grin.

Kukui's enthusiastic smile certainly was contagious. Sun found that he couldn't keep a smile from creeping up onto his own face. "Sure thing! The kahuna's at Iki Town, right? I'll be right there promptly! Bye, professor!" he waved. As the screen went black, Kukui heaved an audible sigh of relief. "You can all come out now. The video call's over."

Hala hobbled from behind a bookshelf, scratching his head. "I suppose that is my cue to go, Kukui?"

"Sure thing, Hala!" Kukui curled his thumb and index finger to give an 'OK' affirmative. "Knock the kid out!"

As Hala walked out of the door however, Acerola pouted and muttered a complaint which changed everything. "Hey! How come Kahuna Hala gets to go out while the rest of us stay cooped up in here?"

Olivia pursed her lips. "That is certainly a valid point."

"Yeah, one for all and all for one! Wasn't that why you dragged us all the way back here, eh Kukui?"

The professor suddenly found himself outmatched by three pairs of hopeful stares glancing towards the open door.

* * *

He should have known that this would happen when he'd conceded to their demands. Gah, he didn't even know why he had given in to them. Maybe it was Acerola giving that adorable pouty face… or perhaps it was Kahili's fault for giving a cold glare that demanded she had her way.

All Kukui knew now was that they were now in big trouble. How was he supposed to know that Tapu Koko would favor the young Sun by making a sudden appearance before the boy? The rumors had circulated around Iki Town almost as fast as a Cutiefly buzzing across the meadow. News of the island guardian's appearance had quickly spread to virtually the entire population of the quaint town. And now, the townsfolk were rising from their nightly schedules despite the late hour to witness the new trainer receiving his first Pokémon, leaving Kukui desperate to hide his new Elite Four members from attention.

Or at least, trying to. He couldn't warn them about the impending village frenzy right now, not when he was still escorting Sun and Lillie back from the bridge ordeal and the others were making conversation with each other from across the town.

As a result, the only warning they had was when they began to hear the sound of people talking and footsteps headed towards the center of the town. "Oh no! We have to hide! The professor said that we can't let them spot us!" Acerola jumped about, flailing her arms in a panic.

"Where?" Kahili looked around. "There's nowhere for us in this tiny town to hide. We can't just barge into a random house!"

"What about our Pokémon?" Olivia voiced out, pointing at their Ultra Balls. "We can ride on your Flying-types to fly out of sight."

"They're pretty iffy about that, especially my Toucannon." Kahili shrugged. "Only my Crobat is willing to carry someone on its back, but I think I left that specific Poké Ball back at the Pokémon Centre."

"Aw, that's too bad! But my Drifloon can float as well! We can just grab its—"

"How about NO!" Kahili half-yelled at the young girl. "Did you even read the Pokédex entry for that thing!? For crying out loud, even if it's tamed, _do not_ grab onto it!"

"Oh." Acerola pursed her lips, before a smile lit up on her face. "I know!" She pointed to the large wooden stage in the middle of the town. "We can hide under there! I think it's big enough for all of us to squeeze underneath. Plus, it's so conspicuous that no one would think twice about it!"

Kahili stared at the wooden stage, a visible tic appearing on her forehead. "You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking."

As the commotion began to rise in volume, all three locked eyes with one another. It was rather unfortunate, really, that her suggestion was one of the only viable options open to them.

* * *

Rounding the corner that led to the big stage, Kukui was genuinely surprised when he saw only Hala in the town square. _Phew_ , he mentally sighed in relief. _They probably already went back to the lab…_

Little did he know where they actually were.

"It's crampy in here…" Acerola whined, struggling to avoid getting her hair messed up.

"Oh please, I've got bigger problems! My feathers in my suit are ruined!" Kahili pulled on her creased shirt, grimacing at the dirt and dust that was now sticking to it.

"But…"

Kahili glared at Acerola and Olivia, shutting the two of them up. "You two don't have a right to complain. At least you can clean and replace your attires easily!" She shot the professor a sharp glare from the cracks between the wooden board. "Kukui, this is your fault!"

Since Acerola's hiding place was actually a decent idea, albeit just a tad inconvenient for those hiding, Kukui hadn't noticed Kahili or her furious complaint at all. The professor tapped Sun's back. "Y'see that big guy over there? He's the Island Kahuna, Hala! Didn't I say that he looks just like a kahuna?"

Sun chuckled good-naturedly at Kukui's remark, although his face concealed the feeling of agony he felt at hearing the lame joke.

"So, you were the one whom our island guardian was moved to save…" Hala stepped forward, looking down at Sin. "I'm glad to meet you, child. I am Hala, the kahuna of Melemele Island. Young Kukui had told me of your coming. I'm glad we got the chance to meet today."

Sun scratched his head, evidently nervous of meeting someone with such high stature so quickly. "Um, it's nice to meet you too."

"Thank you. Let's not prolong this any longer. It is time." Without wasting a moment, Hala reached into his yellow overshirt and took out three red capsules. "Come, my Pokémon! Let's have a look at you!" he declared, flicking the Poké Balls upwards. The Poké Balls popped open, and all three of the Alolan starters were released in mid-air.

Rather unfortunately for the ones underneath the wooden stage, Hala had unintentionally thrown the Poké Balls towards the area that was directly above the floorboards that they were hiding under.

Popplio landed on the planks directly above Acerola, bouncing its body up and down in excitement. "Ow…" Acerola winced as the Pokémon's constant movements caused the boards on top of her hair to shake.

Rowlet gently hovered down by using its wings to break its fall. It landed directly above Olivia, who didn't react at all with an additional owl above her vicinity. After all, Rowlet was relatively light, so its weight didn't add much pressure onto the wooden planks.

On the contrary, Litten swiftly landed onto the wooden planks. Rather humorously, directly underneath the Fire-type was Kahila, which meant that the impact from its landing reverberated throughout the planks above the golfer's head. "You ungrateful little furball…" she hissed, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.

Unfortunately for her, the Litten happened to have sensitive hearing. Its ears twitched as it picked up Kahili's complaint. Peering down through the cracks, it saw the annoyed lady beneath. Litten then proceeded to smack its paws against the flooring, smirking when it saw the lady beneath glowering with pure anger.

"So then," Hala gave a serious look towards Sun. "Which one do you intend to pick as your starter Pokémon?" Sun put his hand to his chin, looking at the three intently. As he was looking at the trio, Hala proceeded to gesture towards each of the three in turn, starting from left to right. "The Grass-type Pokémon, Rowlet."

"Roww!" it cooed, preening its wings before turning its head. "Ahhhhh!" Sun cried in shock as he saw Rowlet's head turn towards the back… while its body was still facing towards him. "What in the world!?"

"Hahhahaha!" Hala gave a hearty chuckle. "Not to worry, boy. Rowlet didn't break its neck, in case that was what you were wondering. Their species are naturally able to rotate their heads three hundred and sixty degrees."

"S-So, kinda like a N-Noctowl, huh…" Sun stuttered, still a little creeped out by witnessing a stunt that looked like it came straight out of a horror film. Rowlet's reassuring hoot when its face turned back towards the front didn't help much in that regard.

Sensing Sun's apprehension, Hala proceeded to move on to the next Alolan starter. "The Fire-type Pokémon, Litten."

"Lit," it muttered with a bored tone. Without warning, the cat suddenly leapt up and lazily swiped its claws at Sun. The boy was unprepared for the sudden attack and instinctively flinched back with a yelp.

"Ten." Litten narrowed its eyes at the trainer when it saw the reaction to its feint attack. It continued to have an unimpressed look as it turned its head away with a snort.

"Um, is that normal?" Sun turned to Hala with a shaky voice.

"Do not fret, young one. Litten is normally a very reserved Pokémon."

"Gah! Reserved? That's just excuses!" Kahili muttered to the other two females stuck under the stage. "I hope that trainer picks the Fire-type so that this evil cat stops snarling in my face." She flailed her arms as wildly as she could in the cramped space. "Look at it! _Look at it_! It's taunting me!" she grunted, her lips smacking with anger as she caught sight of the Litten pawing the ground right above where she was lying on the ground.

Unaware of the chaos that was unfolding less than three feet away from him, Hala strolled over to the last Pokémon. "And finally, the Water-type Pokémon, Popplio."

Hearing its name called out, Popplio barked with a massive grin, clapping its flippers merrily. It smiled so purely that Sun couldn't help but give a small smile in response. "Wow, this one sure is a jolly little fella!"

"Ah, Popplio are always like that. Even more so after they evolve, might I add." Sun was jolted out of his goofy grin when Hala gave a small cough. "I take it that you've had your fair share of introductions to all three of them now. So then, which Pokémon will you choose as your partner? Make your choice, young trainer."

"Rowlet, Litten, or Popplio?" Kukui piped up by Lillie's side. "Woo! Which starter would you pick? No pressure, Sun!"

The trainer in question froze like a Deerling caught in headlights. He appeared to have a sudden epiphany, freaking out when his brain finally caught up to the idea that he now had to make probably one of the most important decisions in his entire life. His eyes darted from starter to starter.

Rowlet, Litten, or Popplio?

"Oh, hurry up and get this over with already so we can finally crawl out from under here!" Kahili's eyebrows began to twitch.

Olivia sighed. "Don't rush the young boy. Picking a starter isn't something to be done haphazardly."

"I know that, but the Litten above us is really making me angry!"

He paced up and down, gazing at each starter in turn. "Oh man, this is hard… I don't know which one to pick!" Sun finally admitted after what seemed like an eternity of him being indecisive. "They're like the starters back in Kanto! All of them are awesome in some way! I can't possibly decide between them!"

Hala guffawed while Sun stared at him, confused at why the kahuna would laugh at his admission. The look on his face basically screamed, "What do you think is so funny about this?" He soon got his answer when the kahuna strolled behind Sun and patted his back.

"In my many years as the Kahuna, I have given out many of these starter Pokémon to quite a few young and aspiring trainers from Melemele. Sun, you are not the first trainer to utter those words, and I'm confident that you won't be the last either." To Sun's surprise, Hala then placed his open palm over his heart. "So, I'll just tell you what I have previously told all of them. Do not pick your starter hastily. Just select the Pokémon that your heart tells you to."

"Touching speech," Olivia whispered in Kahili's ear as Hala spoke down to Sun. "Sure rouses the trainer's motivation right up."

Kahili snorted. "Hala never gave me such a speech. Then again, I never took a starter from him."

"Eh, really?" Acerola crawled over. "What was your starter Pokémon then?"

"Pikipek." She narrowed her eyes. "What, don't look at me like that. I caught it on Route 1, okay?" The other two felt incredibly embarrassed after Kahili's blunt response.

After Hala's rousing speech, Sun let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. With renewed freshness and vigor, his eyes swept over the three once more, this time hovering over one of the three longer than usual…

"I choose him," Sun pointed at the Pokémon in question, a firm smile on his face.

"Pop…?" Popplio started in a confused tone. It looked upwards at Hala for affirmation.

"Ahem!" Hala coughed into his arm. "Uh, well, how would I say this… this Popplio happens to be female."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sun flushed in embarrassment as Popplio gave a hearty chuckle. Only after Popplio had calmed down from her laughing fit did he try reaching out to her again. "I choose her," he corrected. "Um, no hard feelings about that, Popplio?"

"Pop," she shook her head, amusement still twinkling in her eyes.

"Come on, I literally just got you!" Sun was trying to speak seriously, but found that he couldn't keep his mouth from curling upwards. "It's barely been thirty seconds! You can't seriously be holding something like this over my head already!"

"Lio!" She folded her flippers teasingly, making her reply obvious even though he couldn't understand Pokémon speech — " _Yes, I can!_ "

"Congrats, Sun!" Kukui waved at the duo, flashed a grin at the surprised boy. "But it's not over yet…" he cryptically said as he winked at Hala.

Sensing his cue, Hala made eye contact at Sun and Popplio. "Now then, in the region of Alola, the bonds between Pokémon and trainer is treasured. It is customary for a starter Pokémon to also pick their trainer as well. Only when you have chosen each other can you truly call yourself partners in this journey of—"

"Popplio!" she happily barked, interrupting Hala's speech. Flopping over to Sun, she vigorously nodded her head up and down to show her approval.

"Ho!" Hala laughed out loud at the display. "I guess this little fella likes you. She preempted my whole speech, the impatient little rascal!"

"Don't worry, Popplio!" Sun beamed, hugging his new Pokémon close to him. "I promise that I'll take good care of you. Looks like we're both in it for the long haul!"

Acerola blushed slightly, holding her hands to her face. "Um, this seems like a really personal moment between them. I feel really bad for intruding."

"Well, maybe if they would scoot off so we can sneak out of our hiding place we won't feel so bad about spying on this whole ordeal, won't we?" Kahili spat, not even disguising the glare of contempt aimed towards the Litten, who proceeded to send back a mutual hate-filled stare.

"Alola!" Everyone turned around at the cheerful greeting to see a cheery dark-skinned boy wearing shorts.

"Ah!" Hala called out. "You're just in time, Hau."

"Hau?" Sun quipped. "Unique name, I suppose."

"Grandpa!" Hau grinned, giving Hala a hug. "I've thought long and hard, and I've decided on my first Pokémon!"

"Grandpa?" The word rolled off his tongue before Sun could stop himself.

"Ah, yes." Hala reached his arm down to ruffle Hau's hair. "This is my young grandson Hau."

"Alola! I heard about you, Sun!" Hau ran up to Sun and shook his hand rapidly.

"H-Hi…" Sun stuttered, surprised by Hau's enthusiastic vigor. "Nice to meet you as well."

"Thanks!" Hau rubbed his hair before his eyes headed down to the Popplio by Sun's side. "Oh, you picked Popplio, eh? Well, as for me, I've decided on Litten!"

"Lit?" Litten raised an unamused eyebrow at Hau's declaration.

"Yes!" Kahili gave a muffled cheer. "Yes! That evil cat is finally going to leave this place!"

Litten's eyes shot downwards, before its lips curled upwards into a predatory grin.

"Now then, Hau. Your Pokémon must also choose you—"

"Lit-ten!" it howled, running up to Hau and surprising just about everyone. Hala let out an exasperated sigh at its antics. "Why are all the Pokémon preempting my speech? Tell me you're not going to do that to the next trainer as well." He glanced sharply at Rowlet, who began to look upwards, whistling innocently.

"That was unusually enthusiastic," Kahili muttered, keeping her eyes on the feline. "Something's off. That edgy Litten's personality clashes too much with Hala's happy-go-lucky grandson." That thing was definitely up to something.

Sun also had a perplexed expression at Litten's surprising move. "H-How did you manage to tame it? It scowled at me when I approached it before."

"To be honest, I don't know. I guess it likes me!" Hau sheepishly stroked Litten's fur before his eyes took on a more serious expression. "Hey! You and me! Let's have a Pokémon battle!" He pumped his fist in the air. "You will battle me, right? I know you will! Right?"

Sun and Popplio both grinned, nodding in approval as they began to take their positions.

"Hey, wait a minute." Olivia placed her finger to her chin. "If they have a Pokémon battle…"

"…they're gonna do it on the stage right above us!" Kahili finished the thought with dawning horror.

"All right, Popplio! Growl at Litten to lower its defence!"

"Hey! No!" Acerola cried out. "Stop the fight! There are people under here!" It was for naught though, as her voice was inaudible because of a combination of the stage's thick wooden planks and both trainers raising their voices.

"Woo!" Kukui shouted in encouragement. "This is gonna be your first battle, eh Sun? Good luck!"

"I swear… Kukui, when I get out of here, I'm gonna—"

"Ember, Litten!" Hau yelled over the mutterings of the three trapped girls. Litten nodded in acknowledgement, before leaning its head back and spitting a fireball at Popplio.

"Don't let him get you, Popplio! Avoid the attack!" Sun cried out. Popplio clapped its flippers before gracefully hopping over to its left. The fire attack barely grazed the Water-type starter, causing most of the flames to continue on its path. The Ember attack continued to soar through the air before gravity finally forced it towards the ground.

The fire then impacted the stage, shooting through the wooden planks. "Yow!" Kahili shouted. "What the…" she muttered as her eyes picked up a soft bright glow coming from behind her. Turning back, she saw that her blue hair was burning up.

The Ember attack had seared her hair.

Kahili frantically rolled around the dirt in an attempt to smother out the flames. With all the noise she was making, it was frankly surprising that those standing above and around the wooden stage didn't hear her panic. It seemed that they were all too involved in the battle.

"Are you hurt, Popplio?" Sun cried out, concerned about the minor burn wound inflicted by Litten on his starter.

"P-Pop!" Popplio shrugged off her trainer's concern, a determined look on her face.

"Are you hurt, Kahili?" Acerola tentatively whispered, concerned about the burn wound inflicted by Litten on Kahili's hair.

"Fine?" she yelped, gripping onto the strands of hair that weren't burned off. "Do I look okay to you?"

"Not to worry, Popplio!" Sun reassured. "We just gotta strike backkkk…?" He trailed off when he caught sight of Litten. The last thing he expected to see was his opponent's Pokémon chortling and rolling across the wooden flooring in its laughter.

Kahili felt the pressure from Litten's outburst and glared upwards. It was only after she peered through the crack again and saw the Fire Cat Pokémon's face did she understand. "That RUNT! It shot that fireball directly at me on purpose!"

Litten simply howled louder when it saw that its target had noticed.

"Um, Litten…" Hau tentatively raised his arm in an effort to try and calm his Pokémon down. "Now's not the time for a break! I mean, if you really want, I can take you out for some scrumptious malasadas later—"

"Now's your chance, Popplio!" Sun retaliated, fighting back a bit of guilt at Hau's predicament. Coming from Kanto, he'd learnt from young that a Pokémon battle was fair game, after all. "Let's strike at Litten while it has its guard down. Use Water Gun!"

Litten's fur bristled the exact instant it heard the word 'water'. As a feline and additionally, also a Fire-type, it instinctively dove for cover before Hau could even give it a defensive order. It frantically dove on all fours in the opposite direction, running around the stage erratically.

"Wait, don't run that way!" Hau reached out his arm in a bid to warn Litten.

Litten's eyes widened when Hau's voice reached its ears. Still running, it turned its face back to Hau, only to find itself staring straight at Popplio and the face of impending doom.

In its panic to avoid the Water Gun attack that it knew was oncoming, Litten hadn't realized that while Sun had shouted out his order, Popplio hadn't actually heeded it. Instead of immediately firing, the Water-type had paused, shrewdly waiting for Litten to react first.

Popplio grinned impishly at Litten as she sucked in a deep breath of air, before proceeding to expel a stream of water that was targeted at the area Litten was about to run straight into.

Thanks to its momentum, it was far too late for Litten to change direction or stop. "Ten!" it cried out, flinching as it took a direct hit from the super-effective attack. Popplio didn't let up on the offensive, continuing to douse the Fire-type with water until it fell to the ground. "Lit…" it weakly meowed, barely having the energy to shake the water off its matted fur.

"Litten!" Hau ran forward to cradle the Fire Cat Pokémon before withdrawing it into his Poké Ball. He missed the triumphant cackle from a golfer beneath him at seeing Litten get its just desserts.

Kukui shook his head, gesturing at Hala. "Hm, I guess we can call this battle a victory for Sun and Popplio, eh?"

"I… won?" Sun mumbled, looking at Popplio happily. "I won?" he repeated after the shock began to wear off.

"Hoo-ee! Yep, you did!" Hau confirmed. "Man, you got me beat. That gave me chicken skin! Sun, your Popplio was awesome back there!" He proceeded to shake Sun's hand, beaming at his opponent's Popplio.

"Now, now, you two. That was an excellent first battle." Hala praised while walking up to the two boys. "Let me take you both to a nearby Pokémon Center at Hau'oli. I think Popplio and Litten need to get treated up."

Both Sun and Hau nodded and followed the kahuna off the stage. As they walked their way out of Iki Town, Kukui gave a huge goodbye wave.

"Um, professor?" Lillie meekly asked. Honestly, she had been so quiet during the whole battle that almost everybody forgot she was there. "Does that mean that I should head back to the lab now?"

"Sure! Go right ahead!" he nodded in the affirmative. As she walked off as well with a hesitant wave, Kukui was once again alone in the town center. He tapped the tip of his cap in thought, getting a nagging feeling that there was something that he was forgetting…

"Kukui!"

The professor jolted from the familiar voice. He whirled around, only to find a furious Kahili crawling out from under the wooden stage. "I was waiting until you were alone to grill you like popcorn! And now I'm going to do exactly just that!"

"Kahili!" Kukui exclaimed upon seeing her. She looked like a disaster, her attire completely covered in dirt and her blue hair half-charred. "And Olivia and Acerola too!" he added when he caught sight of the other two girls also leaving their hiding place. "What are all of you doing here?"

"Speak for yourself, Sherlock! What do you think?" she yelled. "You told us that no one was supposed to see us, and now look at what the end result of your request was!"

"Oh, I see! You were all hiding!" Kukui gave a thumbs-up. "Woo! Quick thinking, you all!"

"Quick thinking?" Kahili's eyebrow twitched as she forced a smile. She reached into her pocket and threw out an Ultra Ball. "Think fast, then!" She had a sinister smile on her face as her Toucannon landed on the ground. "You love taking Pokémon attacks, don't you? How about if you take a Beak Blast to the face as compensation for what you put us through! You better pray that you have Burn Heals on hand after my Toucannon is done with you!"

"You know…" Kukui started, backing away slowly. He held his hands up nervously in an attempt to keep her calm. "I think I oughta be off to Route 1! Oh yeah, this is the perfect time for me to teach the new trainer about how to catch a Pokémon!" His fists rose to the air in a bid of forced enthusiasm. "Woo! I betcha Sun'll be delighted to learn how to catch a Yungoos—"

"Kukui! Are you trying to play me for a fool?" Kahili yelled, swinging her golf club menacingly. "Every last person on this entire planet knows how to capture a Pokémon! Don't you dare think that you can get away from me with such a lame excuse!"

Kukui gulped at the sight of the furious lady before him. Hands raised in surrender, he nervously chuckled before he turned tail and took flight. "GET BACK HERE, KUKUI!" Kahili roared, immediately chasing after the professor with a battle cry.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

"Isn't that the Island Champion?! What's she doing here with Professor Kukui?"

Olivia heaved a small sigh upon seeing the rumor mill begin its work. "So much for keeping a low profile, hm?" she leant down to whisper into Acerola's ear. It appeared everything was all for naught after most of the villagers of Iki Town came out of their houses due to the massive ruckus caused by Kukui tearing up Route 1 in his bid to escape from Kahili's fury.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Went with Popplio for MC and Litten for Hau. They'll make a few appearances in this story as it's meant to take place simultaneously with their journeys.

Yeah, the battle with Hau doesn't actually happen on the Iki Town stage until the festival on the day after you get your first Pokémon, but the idea of people getting trolled by hiding underneath it was too tempting.


	4. Order and Chaos

**Chapter 3: Order and Chaos**

"Didn't I tell you, Kukui?"

Professor Burnet had a cheeky I-told-you-so smirk on her face as she proceeded to tell her husband off. "Oh, dear… do you _ever_ learn from your past errors and mistakes? Because it looks to me like you've bitten off more than you can chew yet again!"

"But if I don't try, then who knows what heights one might be able to reach? I mean, look at it this way, dear. For instance, even a Pidgey, a Pokémon who is made for flight, would never be able to realize just how high it is able to fly if it didn't push itself to soar," Kukui exclaimed as he gestured out to the window for emphasis.

The Alolan Professor had an unhappy frown plastered firmly on his face as a defensive response to Burnet's teasing. Despite everything, her point was valid and thus still remained standing. "But yes, I have to concur," Kukui heaved a reluctant sigh at his admission, "Kahili was really mad at me for what had happened to her at Iki Town last week. Ever since then, she had adamantly refused to listen to anything that I've had to say all the way up till yesterday."

Sensing his Trainer's distress, Rockruff ran up to Kukui and began to wag his fluffy tail at the professor's knees in a bid to cheer him up.

It certainly worked.

Kukui widened his eyes in surprise, before taking off his glasses and giving the Puppy Pokémon a hearty chuckle. "You're right, Rockruff," he said, kneeling down to ruffle its rocky collar in response. "Even if we've had a bit of a rocky start with the League meetups so far, we just need to remain determined to overcome the hurdles ahead so as to achieve our goal! Woo!"

He reached for his mobile phone, eagerly making plans to prepare for the next meeting between the five of them, much to Burnet's amusement. "So quickly, Kukui?" she asked. "It's barely been a week. Are you sure you don't want to give them time to cool off?"

"Nah! I feel that today's a good day, honey. Oh yeah!" he said affirmatively. "Today we're finally going to make some progress on the League!" Kukui declared, pumping his fist.

Rockruff gave an affirmative bark in support.

* * *

Unlike the previous time, by some amazing stroke of luck, this time it had taken Kukui only a few days before they'd locked down the date of the next meeting after he'd called them up. The professor chalked it up due to them possibly learning their lesson about procrastinating, since that had caused the last minute location-swap which led to all of the drama that occurred during the first meeting.

Still, one fact was generally agreed by everyone. After the whole fiasco that had happened in Iki Town, no one wanted the second meeting to be anywhere near Kukui's lab. Kahili had also put her foot down and pressed that she would adamantly refuse to attend this new meeting if its location was set anywhere within the entirety of Melemele Island.

As if to further add insult to injury, the Iki Town meeting had ended up being mostly pointless due to being interrupted by Sun. Hence, it had been so uneventful in terms of actually discussing about Pokémon League affairs that if a secretary had been around to take down minutes, they wouldn't have even hit the second page of the document before concluding their notes.

Finally, the second meeting place was hence decided to be at the Hano Grand Resort. That decision had been made after Kahili had put her foot down, demanding control of the meeting location under the threat that she would refuse to participate otherwise. With such a demand, Kukui had been forced to comply, despite his reservations about the crowdedness of the area.

And now, here he was again, with four elite trainers by his side standing in a secluded area of the Hano Beach Resort, enjoying the warm Alolan sun.

Oh, if only things could continue going that well.

Unfortunately, within five minutes of starting the new meeting, a touchy topic was brought up.

"So how are we being ranked?"

It was an innocuous query from Acerola. Unfortunately, in this world, the most trouble was always caused by those with the humblest of intentions.

"Well, I think that I should be the highest ranked," Kahili muttered dismissively as she gave a passing glance towards Acerola. "After all, I am the island champion. Afterwards, we would follow up with the kahunas," she turned towards Hala and Olivia before continuing, "If we go by type advantage, Hala should be stronger than Olivia since Fighting-types are super effective against Rock-types."

"But her Lycanroc is a defensive wall…" Acerola commented.

"Doesn't matter. After which, the ranking will go in this order from strongest to weakest… me, Hala—"

"Wait a minute!" Acerola cried, jumping up to interrupt Kahili. "If you're going to rank us by our former titles, does that mean that I'll be the first of the four that trainers will fight?"

"Well, if we're following what Kahili is recommending and going by pure ranking, then I suppose that would indeed make you the last," Hala stated to Acerola as the girl's face fell to that of a grumpy pout. "After all, you're a Trial Captain, not a Kahuna."

"But that's not fair!" Acerola puffed her cheeks out as she grumbled. "I may be a Trial Captain, but I'm also a soon-to-be Elite Four member! We all are!" she pointed out with a triumphant grin. "I mean, being the first of the four is fine by me," Acerola admitted, "But I don't want to give the impression that I'm weak just because I'm the first! However, since I feel that our previous titles don't mean much once we are all of the same rank of Elite Four, I say we have a re-ranking!" she proposed with a grin.

It was after Acerola's very well laid-out point that the trouble started. What the girl had said made sense, and rather unfortunately, they were all competitive…

Olivia chuckled. "If it's fair game, then I'm going to give it a shot to take the title of best Elite Four member."

"No can do, Olivia." Kahili didn't even bat an eyelid at the kahuna's challenge. "Not as long as I'm around!"

"Well, well. It looks like we have an argument, with neither side willing to back down." Olivia pursed her lips, before they curved up into a smile. "You know what that means, don't you? After all, there's only one universal way to settle such a dispute."

"A Pokémon battle!" Acerola cheered, much to Kukui's horror. The professor had only been paying slight attention to their conversation since he'd thought that the ranking order they were fought in wasn't that big of a deal. Unfortunately for Kukui, it now was… especially when they still had to keep news of the League under wraps.

"Hold up, hold up, hold up!" The professor held his hands up in an attempt to stop the chaos before it got out of hand. "Don't you think it's a little too conspicuous for two big-profile trainers to be duking it out? Won't the people of Alola get suspicious?"

Unfortunately, his pleas fell on deaf ears as tensions between the two only continued to escalate. Acerola cheering on Olivia and Kahili from the sidelines didn't help with the situation either, having the opposite effect as what Kukui had intended.

And soon, the tipping point was passed, with the two opposing trainers taking out their Ultra Balls. "Lycanroc, don't let me down!" Olivia calmly said with an aura of confidence as she flung the Ultra Ball onto the ground.

In response, Kahili dropped the Ultra Ball from her hand, only to whack it and send it soaring through the sky with a swing of her golf club. "Hit it out of the park, Toucannon!"

Kukui let out a very exaggerated sigh of despair as the two Pokémon materialized, the Pokémon Professor wishing that he was anywhere else on Alola but spectating this match between two elites right this moment.

"Go in for the kill… Rock Throw on that Toucannon!"

"Hold steadfast, and counter with Beak Blast!"

As Kukui watched with mounting apprehension as the two proceeded to duke it out, his ears caught sight of another interesting conversation.

"So while Olivia and Kahili are battling each other, can I battle with you too, Kahuna Hala?"

Kukui hurriedly spun about on his heel, holding his hands out at the Melemele Kahuna and Ula'ula Trial Captain. "Whoa there! I think you two ought to calm down! One battle is enough!" Sure, he knew that he might be unable to stop Hala and Acerola from battling, but at the very least he could have just one ongoing battle instead of two.

It was just too bad that they both ignored him, the duo too absorbed in their own conversation. "I think this matchup is a little unfair," Acerola observed as she pursed her lips. "I mean, I have the type advantage over Kahuna Hala…"

Hala chuckled at the girl's astute observation. "Type matchup isn't everything in a battle. It that were the case, Kahili wouldn't have challenged Olivia as brazenly as this. A good trainer always has a counter to their weak spots…"

Just as Kukui walked forward to stop the conversation between Hala and Acerola lest they got as bloodthirsty as Olivia and Kahili, two shouts from the females behind him caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Drive that Toucannon to the ground, Lycanroc!" Olivia said in a cool demeanor as she bent her right foot forward. " _Continental Crush!_ "

" _Supersonic Skystrike!_ " Kahili performed her own Z-pose. "Don't let her get you, Toucannon! Strike down that Lycanroc!"

Kukui stared at Kahili's Toucannon swooping up into the air, headed right for the giant slab of rock that Olivia's Lycanroc had summoned. "Wait, what are you doing—"

He even didn't have time to finish his question before everything went insane. Toucannon's beak impacted against the humongous chunk of rock as it flew over the hotel, causing it to splinter into thousands of tiny pieces, ranging from the size of grains of sands to large chunks of rocks.

The trainers only realized their folly when they saw that the force of gravity promptly brought the destroyed landmass down to Earth in multiple pieces once Olivia's Lycanroc found herself unable to control its descent the instant her Continental Crush attack was split apart.

Acerola's reaction as she gazed up at the sight summed up their sticky situation best. "Oops!" she chuckled good-naturedly with her hands behind her back as Kahili facepalmed and Olivia whistled innocently.

"'Oops' is right!" Kukui hastily adjusted his glasses as he scrambled away from what would soon be an impact zone. He waved to the other four, beckoning them to safety. "Let's get out of here before our faces end up plastered on the morning papers!"

And that was how it rained rocks all over Akala Island.

* * *

" _Thankfully, the damage over Heahea City is still minimal, although further sources indicate that while the damage is isolated…"_

"Woo!" Kukui's usual cheery affirmation, said as the professor's eyes lingered on the screen, namely the extensive damage caused by strewn pieces of rocks, seemed quite out of place. As the news camera cut to a devastated beach with so many chunks of rock embedded in the sand that the most foreign debris that the Hano Beach Resort had on its sandy shores was not Pyukumuku for once, Burnet simply shook her head.

"Well, well, well… I'll be honest, Kukui. I actually thought that an Ultra Wormhole had opened up when I heard about all the devastation from the lab. But unfortunately, I'm disappointed to inform that it was a false alarm." Burnet sighed as the newscaster continued on with her report. "Oh, Kukui… do I really want to know the details about how this complete and utter chaos happened?"

"No." Kukui sighed, massaging his temple to ease his surmounting migraine. "Oh, alright…" he finally let out a breath after Burnet continued to gaze at him curiously. "They were fighting to see the order in which challengers to the League will face them in."

"Really? That's weird. Why not let the challenger decide which order to fight them in?" Burnet suggested, seeing her husband's somber mood.

Kukui instantly perked up at her suggestion. "That's… that's brilliant!" he uttered with joy.

"You know, the Unova Pokémon League actually does just that. A challenger to the League can choose what order they fight the Elite Four in," Burnet explained. "This way, no single Elite Four member is ranked above the others, unlike the traditional Leagues of old." She had her arms on her hips as she chastised her husband in a cheeky manner. "But to be honest, I'm frankly surprised you didn't think of this on your own. I mean, it's the perfect strategy. This way, with all four of them ranked equally, those four members will stop fighting and competing against each other for an arbitrary rank order. As simple as that."

Kukui blinked at Burnet before giving her a congratulatory pat on the back. "Woo! Now that's my wife! That's an awesome implementation! I'll be sure to tell them that they don't need to compete after this whole thing blows over!"

Rockruff ran over to Kukui as he saw his trainer's change of mood for the better. "Ruff!" the Puppy Pokémon yipped, jumping and wagging his tail in joy.

Burnet just let out a soft smile as she witnessed the scene. Now maybe, just _maybe_ , her husband would be able to get out of this crazy Pokémon League mess that he'd committed to.

Probably not, though.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I'm back with this! With any luck I'll be able to upload a few more of these before _Let's Go Pikachu_ and _Let's Go Eevee_ get released. This chapter was primarily a bit more on the comedic side, so it's a little bit shorter than the previous two chapters. I'm genuinely sorry if I disappointed you after the wait between chapters!

This is sort of my take on why the recent Pokémon titles have you decide the order in which you fight the Elite Four. I know that in-story I use the Unova League as a crux for Burnet's suggestion, but overall I personally do think that being able to decide the order that you fight the Elite Four in does have its perks in the newer games.


	5. The Masked Royal

**Chapter 4: The Masked Royal**

"Alright, I've got a confession to make… I kind of need money."

Burnet was unable to stop herself from laughing out loud at Kukui's rather direct words, much to her husband's displeasure. But she couldn't help it. The sheer unexpectedness of the comment caused her to lose control of herself for the briefest of moments. "Really, Kukui? You're in dire need of cash?" she questioned Kukui when she managed to calm herself down. "Well, I'm surprised that it took you this long to figure that out, dear!"

"No, Burnet! I don't mean it _that_ way! What I mean is that we need a lot more money than I'd originally anticipated to press on with the Alolan Pokémon League project," Kukui clarified to his wife, murmuring the admission with an unhappy frown that rarely adjourned the optimistic professor's face.

He then brought his arm up, raising up four fingers as he proceeded to say his trademark catchphrase out loud. "Four trainers! That's what the Alolan League is all about. Sure, I had already made ample preparations for a budget for four, but…"

Burnet had a knowing look in her eye as she grinned vicariously at her husband. "You blew the budget, didn't you, Kukui?"

"No! I didn't!" Kukui denied a little too hastily, prompting Burnet to stare at her husband in the eye until he was all but forced to confess under her watchful, skeptical gaze. "Okay, so maybe I kind of did! Can you blame me? Sure, I'll admit that perhaps my plans were a tad wee-bit ambitious… but still, you've got to cut me some slack here! This is an unprecedented venture!"

Burnet shook her head. "Alright, I understand your plight, dear. So then, how are you going to recover from the shortfall?"

"I have an idea, Burnet…"

* * *

"So, uh, I hate to bring something like this up, but do any of you have any cash to spare?"

Almost instantly after those words had left Kukui's mouth, he wished that he could take them back or Skill Swap the Soundproof Ability onto the four others. Kukui knew that he had opened up the meeting on a sour note the moment he saw the blackened faces on most of the others after he said those words.

"Are you kidding me?" Kahili raised an eyebrow, her hand twitching familiarly — her fingers wringing in a manner that made it almost seem as though she was looking for her golf club to whack the professor over the head. "Didn't you say that we would all get a decent salary if we invest in your little idea and join you as Elite Four members?"

"Well, I did say—"

"For your information, in case you didn't know, I actually decided to take a chance and made the choice not to participate in an upcoming tourney because of your offer." Kahili talked over the professor, an enlarged vein forming on her head. "And now you're telling me that you're strapped for cash? Are you out of your mind!?" she yelled.

"Uh…" he started. The very fact that a word had escaped Kukui's mouth caused Kahili to glare at the professor.

"For your sake, you better not finish that sentence." Kahili uttered with disdain, quickly placing her hands firmly over her ears. "Because I don't want to hear it, Kukui. Not even a single syllable."

"Oh, okay…" Kukui would have been more dejected if he hadn't expected such a response from the standoffish Kahili. "What about you, Hala?" he prodded.

"Truth be told, old friend, I've already given most of my money to my grandson to help him out on the island trial challenge." Hala let out a hearty chuckle at his confession. "But I did hear that Hau's been giving Sun a fair bit of items with that money, actually. I sincerely apologize that an old chap like me can't help much with your financial situation."

With half of the Elite Four committee unable to commit, Kukui then gave a fleeting gaze over to the next in line, who rapidly replied when she saw that the professor was eyeing her.

"Trial Captains don't get paid for running the trials, so I'm afraid I don't really have any spare cash for you. I'm so sorry!" Acerola apologized. "Why don't you ask Uncle Nanu to help you with this, Professor Kukui?" she suggested as she twirled around on her heel. "He's gotta have some money after lazing around the outskirts of Po Town. I'm sure Uncle Nanu can spare a couple of dollars if you ask him nicely."

Kukui was immensely skeptical by her words. "Really? You sure about that?"

She had a thoughtful look as she placed a finger to her lip in thought. "I mean, I do that all the time! Uncle Nanu always relents after about the fifth time I repeatedly ask him," she chirped.

Well, that aptly-worded description certainly explained how Acerola was successful in her endeavor for cash. Kukui could imagine an annoyed Nanu snapping and handing Acerola the money that she'd requested after repeatedly nagging him about it non-stop, in the same manner that a Spoink couldn't stop bouncing on its spring-shaped tail.

Although Acerola did bring up a valid point, Kukui was able to vividly recall the grumpy kahuna and how little he actually cared when the professor had recruited Acerola for the Pokémon League once he realized that her going along with him would result in peace of mind on his end. That sobering realization caused Nanu to actively agree to put Acerola in his place as the Elite Four representative instead.

Yeah, Nanu wasn't going to lift a finger. The professor already knew that much. He thus heaved a sigh as he turned towards the final member of the four. Kukui at least knew that Olivia had a shop, so perhaps there was a chance that the Akala Island kahuna could spare a little expense.

Unfortunately for him, his hopes were dashed faster than that of a male Salandit who was trying to evolve. Olivia gently shook her head, much to Kukui's dismay.

"I must apologize, but I have to get some prize money funds ready. There are a couple of challengers who are vying to defeat me in the Akala Grand Trial for their island challenge."

Well, there went _that_ bridge. With a wistful sigh, Kukui slumped his head on his elbows.

The meeting then went on by uneventfully after that and concluded without much fanfare. After it had wrapped up, the only thing that was on Kukui's mind was the funding that he would need, since it was now clear that none of the Elite Four to-be would bail him out of his predicament. With a jolt, Kukui realized that he had to take drastic measures. He refused to have his pet project die from something as preventable as lack of money.

"Woo!" Kukui pumped his fist up into the air with vigor. "Looks like I need to find a way to get some quick money… by myself! Oh yeah! Watch out, Alola, because Kukui's coming for ya!"

A muffled "Oh, shut up Kukui" came from Kahili as the golfer shot an irritated glance back to the professor, who was enthusiastically hollering up to the sky like a madman.

* * *

Whoever said that finding a job was easy had never actually actively looked for one themselves.

In a desperate bid to find a job that wouldn't attract attention—being the regional professor of Alola and working a job would seem awfully suspicious to any journalist—he tried to look for a way to earn money incognito. Kukui had scoured the entire of Melemele Island for any job openings, but unfortunately for him, the only openings were for full-time jobs or didn't quite pay enough.

Ironically, after shifting his focus to Akala from Melemele, he found an opening… albeit in a place where he least expected it to be.

While taking the ferry, he had seen the advertisements for the Battle Royal. Intrigued, he then donned up a disguise, one which he made all by himself. Thereafter, he bit the bullet and signed up for the Battle Royal at their facilities in Akala Island with the disguise.

To his relief and surprise, it wasn't all that bad. Kukui had to admit that this part-time jig wasn't as bad as he had originally envisioned it to be. In a single week he had managed to amass a reputation as a fan-favorite rookie newcomer to the ring — the Masked Royal.

With the prize money he was currently earning, it wouldn't be long before his budget deficit was eliminated. In fact, he might even accumulate enough petty cash for there to be a surplus of funds.

By day he was Professor Kukui, and by night he was the Masked Royal. After his initial worry of being found out, it was actually pretty neat. He'd kept the whole thing secret from everyone, even Burnet. At first it was meant as a take-that for her jab at him, but later it was to avoid scandal and embarrassment when she'd told him about how cool the 'Masked Royal' was.

Tonight was just like another other night to Kukui. Armed in his flashy red garb, he coolly strolled into the Battle Royal Dome and prepared himself for another standard Battle Royal brawl.

Too bad it was about to be anything but.

"Brionne!"

Kukui's eyes widened at the Pop Star Pokémon's cheery cry, especially when his eyes caught sight of a familiar black-capped trainer. "Yo, Sun!" he waved at the boy, "And Brionne too! Over here!" the disguised professor signaled with his hand. "Glad you could make it!"

"Hey…" Sun walked forward, before narrowing his eyes as his lips curled upwards with a small playful smirk. "How do you know my name when I've never met you before?"

"Bri-Brionne!" Brionne did an aerial somersault in agreement with his trainer.

"Uh…" Kukui bit his tongue as he realized that he was dangerously close to being caught out. "You seem just like a ray of bright sunshine to me!" he tried to buy his way out, albeit rather unconvincingly. "Oh yeah!"

Sun rolled his eyes dramatically, with his Brionne following suit by making circular motions with its flippers by the side of his trainer's lower body. "Okay, Professor Kukui. I know that it's really you. You can cut the act now."

Kukui carefully took extreme care in making sure that he did not show the panic he was feeling as he hollered back a response. "What? Who is this Professor Kukui that you talk about?" He continued to play dumb as he pointed his thumb inwardly to himself, flashing a smug grin unlike how he would behave as the Kukui which Alola knew. "I am the _Masked Royal_!"

His Rockruff proceeded to run out from around the corner to give Kukui his support. "Ruff!"

"See!" Kukui pumped his fist into the air as Rockruff yipped in support. "Rockruff here agrees with me! Woo!"

"Right…" Sun fought the urge to laugh like a maniac, simply keeping his face firmly neutral as he snickered silently. "O-oh, okay…" he finally managed to splutter. Did Kukui not realize that his very own Rockruff had given him away, blowing his cover sky-high?

"Bri!" Brionne clapped his flippers, not even bothering to disguise his laughter. Kukui's terrible disguise wasn't fooling anyone, least of all him. Brionne was able to recognize his former professor and Rockruff instantly, and thus was just happy to see Kukui again… even if he was now wearing this awkward wrestler getup.

"Anyway!" Kukui coughed, hurriedly changing the topic. "I'm here today, yeah, to spread the word, oh yeah, about Battle Royal! As I said, the folks here call me… the Masked Royal! Woo!"

"Yeah… sure." The sarcasm in Sun's voice was so thick that even a Scyther wouldn't be able to slice through it.

A bead of sweat trickled down Kukui's face as he again tried to convince the young trainer that he wasn't the professor who he knew by repeating his alter ego's identity once more for emphasis. "The Masked Royal!"

Another roll of Sun's eyes before his gaze hovered down to Brionne. "But I have to be honest. I don't really know how a Battle Royal works."

"You don't know what a Battle Royal is?" Kukui was shocked at what Sun had admitted, but kept up his jovial smile as he held up four fingers. "Four trainers!" he announced in the same tone in which he made his Pokémon League Elite Four sales pitch — an inside joke between him and Burnet.

It was however, also a habit that Kukui was famous for showing off to Sun whenever the professor ran into him, which just caused the trainer and his Brionne to snicker even further at his blatant display of his true identity and personality shining true despite his feeble attempts at hiding said identity.

"Four trainers!" he repeated for emphasis, leading to even more sniggers from the duo. "The Battle Royal is a battle format that has been passed down in Alola for generation upon generation! Oh yeah! The four trainers each pick a Pokémon and duke them out in a ring, with three opponents at once! It's a four-against-one all out brawl! Woo!"

"Sounds sort of interesting…" Sun commented. He was about to add more to his concrit when another peppy voice beat him to it.

"Dude! It's the Masked Royal!"

An excited cry came from the parapet above, causing Kukui to shift his eyes right to see the one who had shouted, only for his eyes to land on Hala's grandson, of all people. Kukui performed a double-take when he realized that Hau was the one who had been whooping for joy from one floor up. "I wanna battle! I wanna battle!" he excitedly chanted.

"Sure thing, Hau—" Kukui missed the knowing look Sun and Brionne shot at each other upon noticing yet another momentary name lapse on Kukui's end, "—the more the merrier, I say! Oh yeah!"

Hau jumped for joy where he stood. "Sweet! I'm gonna duel with the Masked Royal in a Battle Royal!"

"Yo! How about you participate as well? Join in the fun! Woo!" Kukui waved to a brooding blonde-hair boy dressed entirely in edgy black, who simply glowered at the professor-cum-wrestler that he perceived to be another enthusiastic annoyance much along the lines of Hau.

"Whatever," the boy muttered plainly, a hint of irritation crossing his facial expression for a second.

"Well, looks like we got our four trainers! I'd be in the mix too, of course!" Kukui chirped. "Discovery! New experiences! Adventure! It's all yours if you want it! Ready… set… fight! It's time for Battle Royal!" Kukui hummed a tune as he ran into the arena with the other three trainers following behind him.

Boy, was this going to be a match to remember.

* * *

"We're now in the Battle Royal Dome, the arena for Battle Royals! Today's match has the dome packed to the brim. The audience is cheering with eager anticipation!" The emcee varied the tone of his speech to elicit more cheers from an applauding audience. "And here come our contenders! In the green corner, Pokémon Trainer Sun sends out his Brionne!"

Sun's Brionne felt the spotlight on him and let out a delighted squee of joy, the Pop Star Pokémon merrily waving enthusiastically to the crowd. "Bri-Bri!" he squealed.

"In the yellow corner, Pokémon Trainer Hau sends out his Torracat!"

The evolved Litten cautiously gazed about the crowd, before disapprovingly staring at his former Popplio buddy. "Torra…" he muttered as Brionne continued to repeatedly wave to the audience like he was a celebrity.

"In the red corner, the Masked Royal sends out his Rockruff!"

"Ruff!" Rockruff hopped on stage, causing Torracat to shift his piercing gaze onto the Puppy Pokémon when he too realized that he knew _this_ Rockruff.

"And lastly, in the blue corner, Pokémon Trainer Gladion sends out his… uh…" The announcer suddenly cut away as he trailed off, looking again at his cue card before clearing his throat and resuming his announcement. "He sends out Type: Null!"

"Kkkkeeehhhhhh!" the Pokémon screeched inhumanely, causing the Rockruff to stare at it with horror-filled eyes. Brionne and Torracat however, ignored the beast. Kukui pursed his lips at that. It would appear that they'd seen this Pokémon before, as they were otherwise unimpressed by it. How interesting…

"The Battle Royal starts… now!"

"Woo!" Kukui cheered. "Are you guys all ready to rumble?"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Hau replied, a keen sparkle in his eager eyes. "Of course I'm ready to go, Masked Royal!"

"Alright, that is it!" Gladion snapped, placing a palm to his head. "I have had enough of this insolence. I cannot stand this overzealous torment for a single second longer." The boy raised his arm out, never quite losing his cool demeanor as he calmly gave his Pokémon an order. "Time to end this, Null. Use your Take Down attack on that stupidly optimistic boy's Torracat!"

Null obliged, gearing up for a sprint at Gladion's request. He then slammed his armored body full-force into Torracat, causing the feline to snarl and hiss in anger.

"A stunning hit!"

Torracat redirected his hissing towards the announcer. Sensing that his Pokémon was about to leap out of control, Hau quickly changed tactics by redirecting its move to its former attacker. "Use Fire Fang on that Pokémon, Torracat!" he called, pointed a finger firmly at Type: Null.

Torracat rapidly obliged his trainer's request with a gleeful snarl, the Fire Cat Pokémon leaping forward with a spring from its hind legs and sinking its jaws into the thick helmet that surrounded Gladion's Pokémon.

"Gragghhhh!" Type: Null rapidly shook its head in an attempt to fling Hau's Torracat off. When Torracat was eventually forced to release its tough bite on Null, it had been shaken so much that his fur was frizzled and his mane was standing on end.

"Watch out, Torracat!" Hau yelled.

Before the shaky Torracat could recover, he was immediately slammed into by Brionne's Aqua Jet.

"Great one, Brionne!" Sun cheered as Torracat was flung to the edge of the ring, its hind legs beginning to wobble as his injuries piled up.

"Alright! Now that Torracat's weakened, let's go for the dazzling knockout!" Kukui declared, pumping both fists in the air as the crowd swooned over the Masked Royal. "Let's show them all a thing or two with Rock Slide, Rockruff!"

"Ruff!" Rockruff yipped affirmatively, letting loose a barrage of falling rocks as he gesticulated up to the sky. The falling chunks of rock managed to hit Type: Null and Brionne, but the nimble Torracat somehow managed to skittle around it. It was probably for the best — if the Rock-type move had connected, Torracat would have been down for the count.

Hau shivered at the close call. "Alright, Torracat! New priority! Get the Masked Royal's Rockruff!" he ordered as he placed a finger to his temple. "Fire Fang won't do much against it, so go for Lick instead!"

Torracat strode up to Rockruff and licked him in the face. Surprisingly, Rockruff was frozen stiff from the lick.

"Is Rockruff genuinely paralyzed, or is he paralyzed with joy from the reunion? I wish I knew…" Sun mused with a frown, before analyzing the situation and choosing to take quick advantage of the recent turn of events. "But Hau's right, Brionne. Rock Slide's going to put us in a heap of trouble! We have to stop Rockruff's multi-target moves! Since he's paralyzed now, bring it down with Aqua Jet!"

"Bri!" At his trainer's command, Brionne saluted with his flipper, before charging forward at Rockruff and hitting the Puppy Pokémon with a super-effective move at point-blank range.

"Rufffff!" Rockruff squealed in pain as he tried to shake the excess water off of his now matted fur.

"He-hey!" Kukui grumbled, his eyes darting between Hau and Sun as Rockruff gazed towards his trainer with worried eyes. "Don't target me down!"

"Sorry, Masked Royal!" Hau replied apologetically. "If your Rockruff gets the chance to pull off another Rock Slide attack, my Torracat will be toast! I might enjoy toast with malasadas, but I don't like my Pokémon actually being toast!"

Gladion just glared at the other two trainers before giving in to temptation and ordering his Pokémon to join into the tag-team by attacking Rockruff after Brionne and Torracat's prior attacks — the most viable, though boring strategy. The weakened Rockruff was hence finished off by a Take Down manoeuver from a massive Type: Null, the feline slamming to the arena floor from the brutal melee impact.

"And that's it!" the announcer said into the microphone as a bell dinged. "The Masked Royal's Rockruff is down from Pokémon Trainer Gladion's Type: Null! The Battle Royal is now officially over!"

* * *

"Woo! That was fun!" Kukui cheered as he walked out of the arena ring. "Oh yeah!"

Sun placed his hands behind his head as he inquisitively looked up in thought. "I suppose so…"

"Hey, Gladion! You won, congrats! So, did you have fun during the battle?" Hau prodded the unreceptive Gladion, who quickly shot back at Hau with a glare.

"I hate all of you."

"Hey." A serious look crossed Sun's face, a rarity for the laid-back boy. "Hau's right though. Your slow Pokémon managed to lap up the win. You won that match fair and square, so quit being so aloof."

"But we weren't strong enough." Gladion clenched his fist at Sun's observation as he stated the fact. "I only won because you two had weakened that Rockruff before me. That doesn't count as a 'win' in my books." Shaking his head with a scowl, he strolled out of the Battle Royal Dome with one final remark. "Null and I intend to make it on our own. I don't need anyone's help. Not you, not Hau, not some masked wrestler… not Team Skull. I don't need anyone. Never forget that."

As his figure receded from view, Hau folded his arms. "What's his problem?" he grumbled, although the frown was gone quickly and replaced by a jovial smile as he tapped Kukui on his exposed back. "You and your Rockruff put up a great fight, Masked Royal!"

"Yep. Brionne and I enjoyed it. See ya." Sun's knowing grin was back in full force as he locked eyes with Kukui.

Kukui had to shudder at his expression, feeling completely naked despite his wrestler garb. He waved as he made a hasty exit, growing unnerved by Sun's I-know-what's-happening-here smirk. "Yo! I'll be waiting for you too! Woo! The Battle Royal is a place of exciting trials and tribulations! Alola!"

Too close for comfort. All that being said, Kukui did enjoy squaring off against Sun, a trainer who he'd helped groom from the start when he migrated to Alola, even if it was through an alter-ego instead of being a face-to-face battle.

Perhaps one day, they could truly face off in a real no-holds-down battle.

* * *

"So how did your little money-making scheme go, Kukui?"

Burnet was surprised when Kukui replied her with a smirk this time round. "I must say, it went surprisingly well. They say that there is a silver lining behind every dark cloud. Well… for once, I've got to concur that the one who said that quote is absolutely one-hundred percent right!"

"That's rather surprising, you know. I never would have pegged you as someone who enjoys the chore of making money. So, what kind of job did you get manage to get that payed off your debts anyway?"

"Well, it's a secret, Burnet," Kukui murmured with a cryptic soft smile. "It's a secret…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Why exactly is Professor Kukui's alter-ego the Masked Royal? The game never did bother to give a proper explanation for that besides making it a short-lived running gag, did it?

All that said, Kukui doesn't disguise his speech patterns, and the game doesn't try to hide it either. But they really don't do much with this plotline besides having the lost mask subplot in Ula'ula, so eh.


End file.
